LoveandLogic
Refugee
Disclaimer: We only own our dreams, not the people in them. 
Chapter Four
Shutting the door behind me, my heart skipped an extra beat at seeing my three old friends. Every one of them looked the same: Larry with his chiseled, cat-walk worthy body and dazzling blue eyes, Adam with his friendly personality showing through to the surface and the Edge, dressed in his famous black beanie and converse shoes.
They were talking amongst themselves and Brooke, who was trying to explain to them about the theme of the photo shoot, even though there wasn’t one developed quite yet. Then, when the door behind me shut again (obviously Bono entering the room), all four looked right at me, the room going quiet for only a split second.
Then the excitement set in. Larry, Adam and Ed ran towards me, vocally shocked, each of them fighting to embrace me while three different voices surrounded me.
“Oh my God! I forgot you worked here!”
“You look wonderful! Look how long your hair is! Don’t you ever accidentally sit on it?”
“I can’t believe it’s you!”
“How are you?”
“What have you been up to?”
“How long have you been working here?”
Laughing loudly at their millions of questions, Bono lingered in the corner of my eye, his arms crossed, smiling slightly at the sight of his three friends fighting for my attention. It was strange, being around the four of them again. Wasn’t it only six years ago that we were sitting in my living room, fighting over a game of monopoly, trying to cheat for fun, cozying up by the fireplace?
“Alright, alright!” I giggled. “Let me breathe will ya?”
“Sorry, sorry, sorry! We’re sorry!” Adam said.
Larry chimed in, his accent seeming more thick than I remembered. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I just, I just can’t believe it’s you! No one told me it was you!”
“Now you know, I guess.” I smiled, giving them a warming hug, each man holding me long.
When I got to Edge, he winked at me, his voice almost a whisper. “It’s so good to see you again. You look amazing.”
“Thank you,” My face went hot. “And as much as I’d love to catch up, I’m afraid I’m on working hours. So shall we get started?”
Bono joined the rest of the group and Brooke and I contemplated on what to do. “Should we use the white screen first?”
“No,” I said. “Each of them have something red on. Larry has a red belt, Ed has red shoes, Adam a red shirt.”
“And Bono?”
“Oh yeah, that block. Red stars on his jacket. I know it’s small, but if we use the red backdrop it will being out the small red details on their wardrobe.”
She nodded. “Ok. Sounds good.”
“Alright,” I clapped my hands to catch their attention. “We’re going to use the red back drop first. Now, I know that you’re all used to ’posing’ and quite frankly, it’s boring.”
They laughed.
“It’s not funny. I’m serious. I’m not a boring photographer and I certainly don’t have a boring group to work with.”
Edge raised his eyebrows, shrugged and lead the other three to the red back drop. Brooke remained on the floor, taking photos from an upward position while I climbed up a five foot ladder to be at a higher elevation. We began shooting, the flashes of cameras going off like a horrible thunderstorm out of control.
Now you would think that after years and years of being in photo shoots that the band would be able to provide us with something unique. No. They stood like realistic marble statues.
I leaned over the tripod, “Guys, come on. What’s wrong with you? Give me something here. You’re beautiful, let the beauty show!”
They stared, struck. I groaned.
“I know what the problem is.”
Jumping off the ladder and running to the other side of the room, I grabbed a silver boom box and popped in a U2 disc I had brought specially for this session. Soon, the music that the four men had composed blared from the speakers. I stepped back onto the ladder and grinned.
“Better? Now give me something to work with!”
Almost like ice, U2 came to life before my lens. They were moving, that was a start. But they were POSING!
“No posing, guys! Aren’t you tired of posing?”
Adam burst out. “What do you want us to do?”
“I don’t know!” My arms flew through the arms. “Play! Fight! Laugh! LIVE.”
Edge was the first to oblige, picking up his guitar and pretending to hit Bono on the top of his head. In response, the lead singer grabbed Edge from the waist and twirled him around off the ground and setting him back on to the ground. Meanwhile, Larry and Adam watched, laughing, and joining them on the ground. They pushed one another around, Larry stood over Edge with a drumstick in one hand, Edge held up his guitar like a knight shielding fire from a dragon.
“That’s it!” I cried happily, Brooke and I going crazy, snapping photo after photo after photo. “Show who you really are. Show your true colors. You are no longer U2, you are four friends having fun. Children.”
When Brooke and I decided that the red back drop was enough, we moved to the white one consisting of the furniture. I turned the music off and stood before the band.
“We’re still going to have music, but in a different way. Edge you brought your acoustic, right?” I asked, turning to the guitarist.
He walked past me and came back a few seconds later with the instrument in his hand. “Never leave home without it.” He proclaimed.
“Good boy. Adam has his bass, Larry your drumsticks. Bono, you can’t leave your instrument even if you tried.”
“Yeah, tell me a-”
“So,” I interrupted, “What I want you to do is just play. Play any song of your choice.”
Bono looked up at me. “What would you like us to play?”
Jessica sat in the circle next to the four members of U2. Her mom, Lynn and her husband, Alan, stood in the corner of the room. The fireplace crackled behind them, the warmth of the embers warming the living room. Edge cradled his guitar in his hands, strumming easily and humming along with the strings.
“Would you like us to play you a song?” He asked Jessica. “Anything you want.”
She felt put on the spot and yet she couldn’t pass down the opportunity to hear Bono sing person. The list of U2 songs was endless, how could she choose just one? All eyes were on her as she racked her brain for the perfect song.
“Um…ultraviolet?”
Edge hissed. “You chose a toughie. But it’s doable.”
He strummed, his fingers sliding up and down the neck of the guitar smoothly, almost as if his fingers were in charge over his mind. Then Bono began.
Sometimes I feel like I don’t know
Sometimes I feel like checking out
I want to get it wrong
Can’t always be strong
And love it won’t be long
Oh, sugar, don’t you cry
Oh, child, wipe the tears from your eyes
You know I need you to be strong
And the day is as dark as the night is long
Bono’s blue eyes met hers, now singing the song directly to her. Her nerves jumped, flashbacks of their kiss earlier in the basement circling through her mind.
Feel like trash, you make me feel clean
I’m in the black, can’t see or be seen
Baby, baby, baby, light my way
Baby, baby, baby, light my way
You bury your treasure
Where it can’t be found
And your love is like a secret
That’s been passed around
There is a silence that comes to a house
Where no one can sleep
I guess that’s the price of love
I know it’s not cheap
“Play ‘One,’” I answered.
Was that disappointment on Bono’s face? Why the hell should I even care…
They did as told and began the introduction of the song. Brooke and I removed our cameras from our tripods and took turns going from band member to member, focusing on their hands, feet, faces, fingers. I was mostly fascinated by the Edge and tried capturing his skillful fingers into a still-shot.
Eventually I had to go to Bono. Thinking I would dread it, the opposite happened. Was it the music or my love for photography keeping me calm and in the serene moment? I couldn’t be sure.
As Bono sang, I focused on his mouth, zooming in to capture the details of the stubble on his face and the lines in his lips. Kneeling before him and pointing the camera to fill his whole face inside the lens, he removed his glasses, his eyes appearing baby blue due to the white walls around us. I found myself biting my lip, my hands become somewhat shaky.
The song ended and I stood up, ignoring my past lovers eyes that watched me intensely. Brooke and I then split the band, her taking Bono and Edge and myself with Adam and Larry to take individual pictures, switching after fifty shots each.
Our shoot ended at four.
“Ok guys, we’re done. You did wonderfully…after you learned that you could move, that is.” I joked, pushing Adam. “Now go out and get something to eat and enjoy the city. It was nice seeing you guys.”
Bono sat aside as I gave Edge, Adam and Larry hugs of farewell then left them to help Brooke pack away our equipment. Edge came up to me in the midst of moving the chairs back to the corner of the room.
“Can I talk to you?” he asked.
“Sure.”
He looked around. “Alone?”
“Yeah. I need a cigarette anyways. Let’s walk. Brooke, I’ll be back.”
“Alright. I’ll be in office.” She replied, throwing her camera case around her shoulder.
Edge opened the door and we found the nearest exist. I lit a cigarette and Edge and I walked down the sidewalk, the sounds of New York city streets creating a song of it’s own.
“I see that you’re good at what you do,” He remarked, staring ahead. “I can’t remember the last time we actually had fun doing a photo shoot. Usually people want us to be models, not humans.”
Chuckling, I sucked on the Camel at my lips. “I see that.”
“I’m proud of you, Jess. You really came out of your shell. So I take it you saw Bono earlier?”
“How could you tell?”
“You mean besides the huge red mark on his face?”
We laughed in unison.
“That’s not usually like me,” I admitted. “Something just came over me seeing him. When I saw him, I saw all those years of unanswered letters and phone calls.”
“I’m sure. I probably would have done the same thing.”
I hummed, lacing my arm through his. We walked in silence for a bit until I finished my cigarette and put it out in a near by ashtray. Edge planted himself in front of me and shuffled his feet.
“I have a favor to ask.” He said. “I know that you don’t want to see Bono, and I understand that. But the guys and I were talking and they really missed you and want to catch up. Now, don’t say no right away, but we wanted to know if you wanted to go out tonight with us? You know, catch up on old times?”
Now I was the one shifting feet.
“I don’t know,” I groaned. “I missed you guys, too and seeing you today has brought back such a wonderful feeling. I just don’t know if I’m ready. And I have so much work to do. I have to have these photos done in three days and I have other projects to finish and-”
“I know, I know. Don’t you ever break? Relax a bit.. Don’t think about Bono. Put him aside,” He waved his arm, as if throwing something into the road. “Do it for Larry and Adam.” His eyes pleaded like a child without a toy. “Do it for me.”
That’s it…he won me. I stomped a foot. “Oh, alright. For you.”
“Thank you so much! And I promise I’ll keep Bono on the other side of the table.”
“Ha! You better keep him on the other side of the room!”
Whoo, alright, that’s enough for the night. Let me know what you think please! Thank you for reading!
Chapter Four
Shutting the door behind me, my heart skipped an extra beat at seeing my three old friends. Every one of them looked the same: Larry with his chiseled, cat-walk worthy body and dazzling blue eyes, Adam with his friendly personality showing through to the surface and the Edge, dressed in his famous black beanie and converse shoes.
They were talking amongst themselves and Brooke, who was trying to explain to them about the theme of the photo shoot, even though there wasn’t one developed quite yet. Then, when the door behind me shut again (obviously Bono entering the room), all four looked right at me, the room going quiet for only a split second.
Then the excitement set in. Larry, Adam and Ed ran towards me, vocally shocked, each of them fighting to embrace me while three different voices surrounded me.
“Oh my God! I forgot you worked here!”
“You look wonderful! Look how long your hair is! Don’t you ever accidentally sit on it?”
“I can’t believe it’s you!”
“How are you?”
“What have you been up to?”
“How long have you been working here?”
Laughing loudly at their millions of questions, Bono lingered in the corner of my eye, his arms crossed, smiling slightly at the sight of his three friends fighting for my attention. It was strange, being around the four of them again. Wasn’t it only six years ago that we were sitting in my living room, fighting over a game of monopoly, trying to cheat for fun, cozying up by the fireplace?
“Alright, alright!” I giggled. “Let me breathe will ya?”
“Sorry, sorry, sorry! We’re sorry!” Adam said.
Larry chimed in, his accent seeming more thick than I remembered. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I just, I just can’t believe it’s you! No one told me it was you!”
“Now you know, I guess.” I smiled, giving them a warming hug, each man holding me long.
When I got to Edge, he winked at me, his voice almost a whisper. “It’s so good to see you again. You look amazing.”
“Thank you,” My face went hot. “And as much as I’d love to catch up, I’m afraid I’m on working hours. So shall we get started?”
Bono joined the rest of the group and Brooke and I contemplated on what to do. “Should we use the white screen first?”
“No,” I said. “Each of them have something red on. Larry has a red belt, Ed has red shoes, Adam a red shirt.”
“And Bono?”
“Oh yeah, that block. Red stars on his jacket. I know it’s small, but if we use the red backdrop it will being out the small red details on their wardrobe.”
She nodded. “Ok. Sounds good.”
“Alright,” I clapped my hands to catch their attention. “We’re going to use the red back drop first. Now, I know that you’re all used to ’posing’ and quite frankly, it’s boring.”
They laughed.
“It’s not funny. I’m serious. I’m not a boring photographer and I certainly don’t have a boring group to work with.”
Edge raised his eyebrows, shrugged and lead the other three to the red back drop. Brooke remained on the floor, taking photos from an upward position while I climbed up a five foot ladder to be at a higher elevation. We began shooting, the flashes of cameras going off like a horrible thunderstorm out of control.
Now you would think that after years and years of being in photo shoots that the band would be able to provide us with something unique. No. They stood like realistic marble statues.
I leaned over the tripod, “Guys, come on. What’s wrong with you? Give me something here. You’re beautiful, let the beauty show!”
They stared, struck. I groaned.
“I know what the problem is.”
Jumping off the ladder and running to the other side of the room, I grabbed a silver boom box and popped in a U2 disc I had brought specially for this session. Soon, the music that the four men had composed blared from the speakers. I stepped back onto the ladder and grinned.
“Better? Now give me something to work with!”
Almost like ice, U2 came to life before my lens. They were moving, that was a start. But they were POSING!
“No posing, guys! Aren’t you tired of posing?”
Adam burst out. “What do you want us to do?”
“I don’t know!” My arms flew through the arms. “Play! Fight! Laugh! LIVE.”
Edge was the first to oblige, picking up his guitar and pretending to hit Bono on the top of his head. In response, the lead singer grabbed Edge from the waist and twirled him around off the ground and setting him back on to the ground. Meanwhile, Larry and Adam watched, laughing, and joining them on the ground. They pushed one another around, Larry stood over Edge with a drumstick in one hand, Edge held up his guitar like a knight shielding fire from a dragon.
“That’s it!” I cried happily, Brooke and I going crazy, snapping photo after photo after photo. “Show who you really are. Show your true colors. You are no longer U2, you are four friends having fun. Children.”
When Brooke and I decided that the red back drop was enough, we moved to the white one consisting of the furniture. I turned the music off and stood before the band.
“We’re still going to have music, but in a different way. Edge you brought your acoustic, right?” I asked, turning to the guitarist.
He walked past me and came back a few seconds later with the instrument in his hand. “Never leave home without it.” He proclaimed.
“Good boy. Adam has his bass, Larry your drumsticks. Bono, you can’t leave your instrument even if you tried.”
“Yeah, tell me a-”
“So,” I interrupted, “What I want you to do is just play. Play any song of your choice.”
Bono looked up at me. “What would you like us to play?”
Jessica sat in the circle next to the four members of U2. Her mom, Lynn and her husband, Alan, stood in the corner of the room. The fireplace crackled behind them, the warmth of the embers warming the living room. Edge cradled his guitar in his hands, strumming easily and humming along with the strings.
“Would you like us to play you a song?” He asked Jessica. “Anything you want.”
She felt put on the spot and yet she couldn’t pass down the opportunity to hear Bono sing person. The list of U2 songs was endless, how could she choose just one? All eyes were on her as she racked her brain for the perfect song.
“Um…ultraviolet?”
Edge hissed. “You chose a toughie. But it’s doable.”
He strummed, his fingers sliding up and down the neck of the guitar smoothly, almost as if his fingers were in charge over his mind. Then Bono began.
Sometimes I feel like I don’t know
Sometimes I feel like checking out
I want to get it wrong
Can’t always be strong
And love it won’t be long
Oh, sugar, don’t you cry
Oh, child, wipe the tears from your eyes
You know I need you to be strong
And the day is as dark as the night is long
Bono’s blue eyes met hers, now singing the song directly to her. Her nerves jumped, flashbacks of their kiss earlier in the basement circling through her mind.
Feel like trash, you make me feel clean
I’m in the black, can’t see or be seen
Baby, baby, baby, light my way
Baby, baby, baby, light my way
You bury your treasure
Where it can’t be found
And your love is like a secret
That’s been passed around
There is a silence that comes to a house
Where no one can sleep
I guess that’s the price of love
I know it’s not cheap
“Play ‘One,’” I answered.
Was that disappointment on Bono’s face? Why the hell should I even care…
They did as told and began the introduction of the song. Brooke and I removed our cameras from our tripods and took turns going from band member to member, focusing on their hands, feet, faces, fingers. I was mostly fascinated by the Edge and tried capturing his skillful fingers into a still-shot.
Eventually I had to go to Bono. Thinking I would dread it, the opposite happened. Was it the music or my love for photography keeping me calm and in the serene moment? I couldn’t be sure.
As Bono sang, I focused on his mouth, zooming in to capture the details of the stubble on his face and the lines in his lips. Kneeling before him and pointing the camera to fill his whole face inside the lens, he removed his glasses, his eyes appearing baby blue due to the white walls around us. I found myself biting my lip, my hands become somewhat shaky.
The song ended and I stood up, ignoring my past lovers eyes that watched me intensely. Brooke and I then split the band, her taking Bono and Edge and myself with Adam and Larry to take individual pictures, switching after fifty shots each.
Our shoot ended at four.
“Ok guys, we’re done. You did wonderfully…after you learned that you could move, that is.” I joked, pushing Adam. “Now go out and get something to eat and enjoy the city. It was nice seeing you guys.”
Bono sat aside as I gave Edge, Adam and Larry hugs of farewell then left them to help Brooke pack away our equipment. Edge came up to me in the midst of moving the chairs back to the corner of the room.
“Can I talk to you?” he asked.
“Sure.”
He looked around. “Alone?”
“Yeah. I need a cigarette anyways. Let’s walk. Brooke, I’ll be back.”
“Alright. I’ll be in office.” She replied, throwing her camera case around her shoulder.
Edge opened the door and we found the nearest exist. I lit a cigarette and Edge and I walked down the sidewalk, the sounds of New York city streets creating a song of it’s own.
“I see that you’re good at what you do,” He remarked, staring ahead. “I can’t remember the last time we actually had fun doing a photo shoot. Usually people want us to be models, not humans.”
Chuckling, I sucked on the Camel at my lips. “I see that.”
“I’m proud of you, Jess. You really came out of your shell. So I take it you saw Bono earlier?”
“How could you tell?”
“You mean besides the huge red mark on his face?”
We laughed in unison.
“That’s not usually like me,” I admitted. “Something just came over me seeing him. When I saw him, I saw all those years of unanswered letters and phone calls.”
“I’m sure. I probably would have done the same thing.”
I hummed, lacing my arm through his. We walked in silence for a bit until I finished my cigarette and put it out in a near by ashtray. Edge planted himself in front of me and shuffled his feet.
“I have a favor to ask.” He said. “I know that you don’t want to see Bono, and I understand that. But the guys and I were talking and they really missed you and want to catch up. Now, don’t say no right away, but we wanted to know if you wanted to go out tonight with us? You know, catch up on old times?”
Now I was the one shifting feet.
“I don’t know,” I groaned. “I missed you guys, too and seeing you today has brought back such a wonderful feeling. I just don’t know if I’m ready. And I have so much work to do. I have to have these photos done in three days and I have other projects to finish and-”
“I know, I know. Don’t you ever break? Relax a bit.. Don’t think about Bono. Put him aside,” He waved his arm, as if throwing something into the road. “Do it for Larry and Adam.” His eyes pleaded like a child without a toy. “Do it for me.”
That’s it…he won me. I stomped a foot. “Oh, alright. For you.”
“Thank you so much! And I promise I’ll keep Bono on the other side of the table.”
“Ha! You better keep him on the other side of the room!”
Whoo, alright, that’s enough for the night. Let me know what you think please! Thank you for reading!
. I think you're really coming into this story. Well done. It's a great tale.
i love it!! great story line - cant wait for more!
::runstoMircosoft::
